Loom



June 9, 1925. 1,541,755

E. s. sTlMPsoN LOOM Filed Sept. 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD S. STIMPSON, DECEASED, LATE F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS; BY WAL- LACE I. STIMPSON, EXECUTOR, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER CORPORATION, OF I-IOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

LOOM.

substantially exhausted, the operative condition of the loom is changed." This change in the operative condition of the loom may result in either loo-m stoppage or filling re- :Jlenishment, and in the present instance of the invention it will be shown and described in connection with a train of mechanism for replenishing the fillingin the shuttle when the feeler detects substantial exhaustion on at detecting beat.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a feeler mechanism of the intermittent type which shall be of simple construction and readily applied to existing looms without material alteration in the mechanism thereof, and which nevertheless shall be effective and reliable in operation. Another important feature of the invent-ion consists of a feeler mechanism of the intermittent type wherein the means for freeing the feeler at intervals to its periods of activity shall be so arranged and related to other operative parts of the loom as to not interfere with the loom mechanism and shall be out of the way of the weaver or loom attendant.

In accordance with the present invention, the feeler is held in an inoperative position during its periods of inactivity and is freed at intervals that it may move to feeling position and again be returned to its inoperative position should it detect a working supply of filling in the shuttle, but should the feeler detect a near approach to sub stantial exhaustion of the filling in the Chuttle, it will remain in operative position Serial No. 737,467.

and effect replenishment of the filling when that in the shuttle is substantially exhausted. The controlling means for freeing the feeler at intervals to its periods of activity is simple in construction and arranged with relation to the breast beam and other features of the loom construction such that it shall not interfere with the free movements of the weaver in manipulating the loom.

The invention and new combination of parts will best be made clear from .the following description and the accompanying drawings ofone good form thereof, wherein the means for controlling the periods of activity of the feeler are actuated from the cam shaft which has a one-to-two relative movement with the crankshaft. More specilically stated, the mechanism for controlling the periods of activity of the feeler may be directly actuated from the cam follower and consequently be positioned near the top of the loom and, in the main, back of thebreast beam.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one side of the loom having the present invention applied thereto, some of the parts being broken away for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the feeler mechanism showing the feeler ,in its inoperative 0r frontward position and Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the feeler as having been freed from its holding means that it may move to feeling position. In the illustrated form of the invention, the feeler is shown as of the inclined type of general character and operation in calling for replenishment as that shown and described in the Edward S. stimpsonpat- 'ent, No. 1,309,226, July 8, 1919, but while the advantages of the present invention are manifested in connection with such inclined type of feeler, it is to be understood that it may be advantageously employed in connection with othertypes of feeler mecha nisms.

The replenishing mechanism for furnishing the shuttle with a fresh supply of fillmg when the feeler detects substantial exhaustion of the filling the shuttle is not herein shown and described because the details thereof form no part of the present .invention and are now well understood by those familiar with filling replenishing looms.

The loom frame may be of usual construction and in the present instance thereof, the breast beam has extending therefrom ashipper stand 1 having a slot 2 through which the shipper 3 extends. For the present purposes, the shipper stand 1 may be regarded as a part of the breast beam.

Mounted upon the loom frame is a train of mechanism for effecting replenishment of filling when the feeler indicated substantial exhaustion thereof in the shuttle, such train of mechanism, as shown, comprising an arm i extending upwardly from the usual t 'ansverse or rock shaft (not shown) having pivotally connected theretoat 5 the rearwardly extending arm 6, the rear end portion of which has pivoted thereto at 7 a finger 8 th end portion 9 of which is adapted at times to be engaged by the cam follower 10 or a part associated therewith. The finger 8 has a projection 11 which overlies one arm 12 of a bell crank lever pivoted at 13 to a support 15 which may be conveniently secured to the breast beam or shipper stand by a bolt 16'.

The other arm 17 of the bell crank lever is connected to the transmitter 18 which is oine'd at 1.9 to a sl i'de' 20 through which the feeler 21 extends. The slide 20 is guided in its lateral movements by suitable guideways formed in the rear bearing portion 22 of the feeler stand 23, and the feeler stand itself may be adjustal aly connected to the shipper stand. or an arm extending therefrom by a bracket Q4, to the upper portion of which the feeler stand may be secured by a bolt 25. At its front portion the feeler stand has a swivel block 26 through which the frontwardly extending stem 27 of the feeler passes, and a spring 28 is interposed between the swivel block 26 and the collar or bridge 29 secured to the feeler to normally act upon the feeler to move it rearwardly or to its feeling position. The parts so far describedmay be of usual constrruztion and similar to the corresponding parts in the patent to Stimpson, hereinbofore mentioned.

lhe lay 30 is shown as of the usual con struction. and provided with a shuttle host 31, the front wall of which is provided with an opening 32 which registers with an opening 33 in the front wall of the shuttle when the latter is properly positioned in the shuttle box, so that on the beat-up movement of the lay should the shuttle be in feeling position, it may pass through the Slots and 33 and feel. for the filling 35 in the shuttle. The parts last dcscrihed with respect to the lay and shuttle ho): may also be of usual construction.

Pivotally mounted at 36 on a projection 37 is the device 38 for holding the feeler in its frontward or inoperative position during its periods of inactivity. The device 38 is herein shown as a detent having inclined end portion 39 and the tooth -i: The device 38 is under the influence of a spring l1, Fig. 3, normally tending to hold the toothed end portion of the detent in its feeler holding position, and extending laterally from the detent 38 is a projection 4-2 which may be conveniently formed to cooperate with a trip device for freeing the feeler and permitting it to move to its rearward feeling position under the influence of the feeler spring 28.

In accordance with the present invention, the feeler is to be held: in its front or inoperative position during its periods of inactivity, and in the present instance the feel'er is provided with a tooth 43, the frontwardly extending top portion of which is inclined as at M to. cooperate with the inclined surface 39of the detent as the fecler is moved frontwardly by a working supply of filling to thereby lift the detent and permit the tooth 40 of the detent and the tooth 4-2 of the feeler to become engaged as the tooth 43 passes frontwa-rd'l y of the detent tooth.

lVhi-le in accordance with the broader aspects of the present invention it may not always be necessary to hold the, 'l'eeler in :2 frontwa-rd position beyond the reach o f the filling on detecting beats during its porn 'is of inactivity, yet in the present instance of the invention the engaging teeth 4 .10 and of the detent and feelcr respectivi relatively inclined, as indicated in Figs. .o and 3 respectively, so that when the feelcr has been moved frontward-ly by a working supply of filling and the teeth 40 and i l are brought into-engagement as the lay goes back, the feeler will be given a latera movement from the dotted line position, F 2', to the full line position, thereby removing the end portion of the fceler beyond the reach of the filling onsubsequent dc; :cting beats during the periods ot inactivity of the :l'eeler.

iifounted upon a stud laterally from the feeler stand is a rahyhel wheel 46' iaving a series of teeth whereby the ratchet wheel may be. given a step m}- step movement through a train of nice a nism presently to be described. if desired the feeler stand 23 may have'secnred thereto a bracket or plate 4?, Fig. 3, for the proper support of the stud 4-5 on WlllCllthe ratchet wheel 46- may rotate, and extending from the bracket 4-7, in: the present instance, is a housing 48 which has a flange portion 1 9 to" cooperate withthe housing itself and protect the ratchet wheel 46, the flange 49 being cut away, however, as shown in Fig. 1., for the entranceof an actuating pawl to be presently described.

Secured to the breast beam or shipper stand is a supporting bracket 50, Fig. 1, to which is connected by a screw or bolt 51, as

shown, the bearing supporting arm 52. The

bearing arm 52 carries the bearings 53, Fig. 1, for a rocking member or shaft 54, so that said shaft is supported for rocking movement in thebearings 53, shown as supported from the breast beam or shipper stand. Thus the rocking shaft 54 presents no obstruction to the free movements of the loom attendant in manipulating the various parts of the loom mechanism.

The rock shaft 54 extends in a lateral direction of the loom and isinterposed between the cam follower 55 and the feeler mechanism. At a point adjacent thee-am follower, the rock shaft 54 has secured thereto the hub portion 56 of an arm 57, the lower end portion of which isprovided with a slot 58 which embraces a projection or screw 59 secured to the cam follower, Fig. 1, the construction being such that as the cam follower is given its movements towards and from the front of the loom, it will. transmit to the rock shaft 54 a rocking movement about its longitudinal axis. 7

The cam follower 55 is pivotally supported at 60 and its rearwardly extending end 61 is provided with a shoe 62' which rests upon the cam 63 mounted upon the am shaft 64, whereby the cam follower is given its movements towards and from the front of the loom.

The rock shaft54 extends laterally to a point adjacent the feeler mechanism, and there it is provided with a block 65, F ig. 1, which may be rigidly connected to the shaft 54 by a bolt 66 or other suitable securing means.

The block has pivoted thereto at 6? the pawl 68, the active end portion ofwhich cooperates with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 46 to step the ratchet wheel along step-bystep during the rotation of the cam shaft in its one-to-two relation with the loom crank shaft. As shown in the present instance of the invention, the pawl 68 is given its active stroke during the backward movement of the cam follower at which time the shuttle is not in the shuttle box, and is given its idle stroke as the cam follower moves frontwardly. V

The ratchet wheel 46 carries a trip or projection 69,Figs. 2 and 3, and as the ratchet wheel isstepped along through its actuation from the cam shaft or cam follower, the trip 69 rises beneath the projection 42 on the detent 38 and liftsthe detent into its dotted line position, as indicated in Fig. to free the feeler that it may move to its feeling position and assume its period of activity, a condition, *which commences when the shuttle is not in the shuttle box, so that the feeler may move to its full feeling position before being engaged by the filling on the next detecting beat.

It may be desirable at times to provide a stop 70, Figs. 1 and 8, to limit the idle stroke of the pawl 68 and prevent its dropping too low on the ratchet wheel 46.

From the construction described as one good form of the present invention, it will be noted that when the feeler is held in its inoperative frontward position during its periods of inactivity, the ratchet wheel 46 will be stepped along by the pawl 68 and rock shaft 54 actuated from the cam shaft or cam follower until when the trip 69 rises below the projection 42 of the detent, the latter will be raised or lifted, as in Fig. 3, and thefeeler' will be free to assume its feeling position. Should a working supply of filling be present in the shuttle on one of the subsequent detecting beats, the feeler will be moved. frontwardly and when the trip 69 has passed from engagement with the projection 42 the detent will engage the feeler and hold it in its front'ward inoperative position, preferably out of reach ofthe filling. on subsequent detecting beats. Should the feeler, however, detect a near approach to substantial" exhaustion of filling, it will not be moved frontwardly sufficiently far by the filling to cause the teeth of the detent to engage and hold the feeler, but on the contrary the feeler will remain active until when the filling has become substantially exhausted, the feeler will call for a change of filling.

The actuation of the trip to. free the feeler to its periods of. activity from the cam shaft insures that the feeler shall commence its periods of activity or move to feeling position when the shuttle is not in the feeler box, and the disposition of the rock shaft 54 and its connected mechanism such as to remove it from interference with the loom attendant, thus presenting a simple, effective and convenient form of mechanism for controlling the active and inactive periods of the feeler.

It may be desirable in some cases to limit the downward movement of the detent 38 to its feeler holding position and to this end a stop 71, Fig. 3, may be formed on the bracket 47 or .on the feeler stand to engage the under surface of the detent when the latter is in its feeler holding position.

VVha't is claimed is:

1. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward position, and

means actuated from the cam follower for freeing the feeler from said device at intervals that the feeler may have periods of activity and inactivity during weaving with the same supply of filling in the shuttle.

2. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle, a'device for holding the feeler in a frontward position, a trip for said device, and means actuated from the cam follower for operating the trip to free the feeler at intervals that it may have periods of activity and inactivity during weaving with the same supply of filling in the shuttle.

3. In a loom, the combination of a cam follower, a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle and effect a change in the loom operation when the filling in the shuttle is substantially exhausted, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward inoperative position, and a step-by-step mechanism actuated from the camfollower for freeing the feeler from said device at intervals that the feeler may have periods of activity and periods of inactivity dur ing weaving.

4. In a loom, the combination of a feeler, a cam follower, a device for holding the feeler in an inoperative position beyond the reach of the filling on detecting beats, a trip for said device, and a part oscillated from the cam follower for operating the trip to free the feeler from said device at intervals that the feeler may have periods of activity and inactivity during weaving with the same supply of filling in the shut tle.

5. In a loom, the combination of a feeler, a cam follower, a device for holding the feeler in a fron'tward inoperative position, a trip for freeing the feeler from said device, and a rocker actuated from the cam follower for operating the trip to free the feeler from said device at intervals that the feeler may have periodsof activity and periods of inactivity during weaving with the same supply of filling in the shuttle.

G. In an. intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of the cam shaft, a cam follower actuated therefrom, a feeler, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward position, a trip for freeing the feeler from said device, and a train of mechanism for operating the trip to free the feeler at intervals including a member extending in direction transversely of the 100111, coin nections between said member and the cam follower for actuating said member, and means actuated by said member for operating the trip at intervals to free the feeler from said device that the feeler may have periods of activity and inactivity during weaving. with: the same supply of filling in the shuttle.

7. In an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle and effect replenishment of filling when that in the shuttle is substantially exhausted, a device for holding the feeler away from feeling position, a trip for freeing the feeler from said device that it may move to feeling position, a cam shaft, a rocking member interposed between the cam shaft and feeler mechanism and operated by the'cam shaft, and means actuated by the rocking member for causing the trip to free the feeler from said device at intervals.

S. In an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle and effect replenishment of filling when that in the shuttle is substantially exhausted, a device for holding the feeler away from feeling position, atrip for freeing the feeler from said device that it may move to feeling position, a cam shaft, a cam follower actuated therefrom, a rock shaft interposed between thecam follower and trip, connections between the cam follower and rock shaft for rocking the latter, and means actuated by the rock shaft for causing the trip to free the feeler from said device at intervals.

9. In a loom, the combination of a feeler to detect the condition of the filling in the shuttle and effect replenishment when the filling is substantially exhausted, a device for holding the feeler in a frontward inoperative position, a trip for freeing the feeler from said device that it may move to feeling position, a cam follower laterally disposed relative to the feeler mechanism, a rocking member between the cam follower and feeler mechanisn'i actuated from the cam follower, and means operated from the rocking mcnr her for causing the trip to free the feeler at intervals that it may have periods of activity and inactivity during weaving with the same supply of filling in the shuttle.

10. In a loom, the combination of a feeler, a device for holdingthe feeler away from feeling position, a cam' follower, a rock shaft supported from. the breast beam and operated from the cam follower, and means operated from the rock shaft for freeing the feeler from said device at intervals that the feeler may move to feeling position.

11. In a loom, the combination of a feeler, a device for holding the feeler away from feeling position, a. cam follower, a rock shaft supported from the breast beam, an arm be tween the cam. follower and rock shaft for operating the latter, and means operated from the rock shaft for freeing the feeler from said device at intervals that the feeler may move to feelingposition.

12. In a loom, the combination of a feeler for detecting the condition of the filling in the shuttle and effecting replenishment when the filling is substantially exhausted, a de vice for holding the feeler away from feeling position, a rock shaft supported from the breast beam, connections between the rock shaft and cam shaft for operating the rock shaft, and means actuated from the rock shaft for freeing the feeler at intervals that it may move to feeling position.

13. In a loom, the combination of a feelei' for detecting the condition of the filling in the shuttle and effecting replenishment when the filling is substantially exhausted, a device for holding the feeler away from feeling position, a rock shaft supported from the breast beam, connections-between the rock shaft and cam shaft for operating the rock shaft, and a step-by-step device actuated from the rock shaft for freeing the feeler at'intervals that it may move to feeling position.

14. In a loom, the combination of a feeler, a device for holding the feeler away from feeling position, a cam follower, a rocker supported back of the breast beam and operated by the cam follower, and means actuated by the rocker for freeing the feeler at intervals that it may move to feeling position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WALLACE I. STIMPSON.

Edecutor estate 0/ Edward S. Stz'mpeon, de-

ceased. 

